Our new Doing Business in Norway guide will help prepare UK businesses who are looking to trade with one of the world’s strongest economies and a world leader in the oil and gas, energy, maritime and seafood sectors. Despite its relatively small population of just over 5 million, Norway is renowned for its good public services and political stability and can claim to be the happiest country on earth, taking first place in the 2017 World Happiness Report.

Norway has the potential to be a rich source of business opportunities for UK exporters. There are great opportunities in the knowledge development, innovation, and sustainability sectors, with Medtech, FinTech, Edtech and other technology sectors also being greatly in demand. Furthermore, Norwegian consumers are willing (and able) to pay a high price for quality and British products already enjoy a good reputation. English is widely spoken so communication is rarely an issue but an understanding of Norwegian attitudes and approaches to business will help you to develop those key relationships so vital to the success of any venture.

Norway has a highly egalitarian business culture which values humility, respect, simplicity and equality. As such, Norwegian people will rarely show off about their own achievements and are generally unimpressed by those who do. People are valued for their honesty, respect and goodness rather than in terms of their professional standing.

With this in mind, it is natural that decisions are often made in a consultative manner and this can result in the process taking longer than you may be used to. Being open and honest about your expectations from the outset and providing a realistic, solid and competitive price quote, backed up with the relevant facts and figures, is likely to be a more successful strategy with your Norwegian partners and customers.

Norway has the potential to be a high value market for British businesses and the Institute of Export & International Trade can help guide you through the intricacies of doing business with this sophisticated and established market through our education programmes, training and practical support, our helpline and one-to-one assistance with paperwork.

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For more information about the guide, and to download or order a copy, please go to: https://www.export.org.uk/page/Norway_guide

To see the full range of Doing Business Guides, go here: http://www.export.org.uk/page/DoingBusinessGuides